Announcement

Canada ’s New Food Guide Recommends “Healthy” Vegetable Oil Fats  

February 6, 2007 (Toronto, ON) – Canada’s Food Guide recommends Canadians aim to consume 30 to 45 mL (2 to 3 tablespoons) of "healthy" unsaturated fats each day.  Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils such as canola, olive and soybean, which are used to make products such as cooking oils, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.  

The guide recommends that Canadians choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats and limit their intake of butter.  

“ Canada ’s new food guide better promotes healthy fats and the source of those healthy fats which are vegetable oil and products made from vegetable oil,” said Sean McPhee, President of the Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada.  “VOIC is pleased to have participated in the development of the new food guide as a member of Health Canada ’s Food Guide Advisory Committee.”  

The new guide also replaces the old Milk Product food group with the new Milk and Alternatives food group to provide non-dairy alternatives such as calcium fortified soy beverage.   

The new food guide reflects the growing scientific evidence that there are unhealthy fats that increase the risk for certain diseases while healthy fats lower the risk.   

The National Academy of Science Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), developed by American and Canadian nutrition experts, recommend that fat provide between 20% and 35% of total energy intake.  

The DRI report recommends that dietary saturated fat and trans fat be kept to a minimum level of intake.  The report also provides recommendations for two essential fats, alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid in the amount of 1.6 and 17 grams per day respectively.  Both of these fats are found predominantly in polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable oils.  

Copies of Canada’s Food Guide can be obtained at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html.  

VOIC (Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada) is an industry group representing 75,000 oilseed growers across Canada, oilseed processors and suppliers of fats and oils to the food industry, and makers of oilseed-based food products, such as margarine, cooking oil, salad dressing, mayonnaise and dessert toppings.  Members include the Canadian Canola Growers Association, the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, Archer Daniel Midland Agri-Industries Ltd., Bunge Canada, Canbra Foods, Cargill Limited, AarhusKarlshamn US and Canada, Loders Croklaan, Unilever Canada and Rich Products Corporation.

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For more information:

Sean McPhee
VOIC
416-214-1232
www.voic.ca